30 years of care celebrated

11 Jun 2019

Reflection was a recurrent theme at this year’s annual Supportive and Palliative Care Conference, as it celebrated its 30th year.

With attendance a sell-out for the second year in a row, clinicians, nurses and health staff gathered to learn and discuss the impacts of compassion, end of life and the evolution of support in terminal care.

An introduction by Dr Michael Noel, from the Western Renal Service, examined the changing landscape of palliative care over the years, and how during its earliest days little was known about pain mechanisms with care often relying on experiential learning.

In surmising his journey, Dr Noel expressed that supportive and palliative care was more ‘about living, not dying’. He urged the audience to always value curiosity, seek out why things were happening and to respect working in a team.